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British Civilian Duty Respirator
|period = 1936 - 1945 (Approximate) Design lasted into 1970s as an industrial mask |issued = |thread = }} As the name implies, this respirator was given to civilians who required a degree of protection larger than what could be provided by the General Civilian masks. Mask Overview The 'Civilian Duty' was issued to all members of the Air Raid Precautions organisation, ambulance drivers, nurses and police. Although, like some civilians, some members of the aforementioned groups decided to privately purchase their own masks. This was usually done because private purchase masks, although expensive, provided much greater protection against all known war gases. One example of these 'private purchase' masks was the J.E. Baxter Vit-Air. The overall construction of the Civilian Duty was simple. The eyepieces were made of glass and were affixed to the face-blank using bezel screws (similar to how the lens on a wrist watch is affixed), a rubber gasket was added into this screw assembly in order to ensure a tight seal. Each Civilian Duty features a cylindrical rubber protrusion near the cheek of the facepiece. This protrusion is a port for the use of microphone apparatus. Initially sealed, the protrusions' end was cut off and the microphone kit would be attached to the mask with rubber luting, similar to how the flapper valve is attached. These microphone examples were officially modified in factories, microphone conversion was not something that was done by the person whom the mask was issued to. To differentiate between regular Civilian Duty masks and those masks intended for telephonist use, the word 'MICRO' (short for microphone) was added to the cardboard boxes that the masks were issued in. A triangular metal plate with a small spout-like protrusion was added onto the face-blank, fixed in position by nuts and bolts, one at each point of the triangle plate. It is located between the eyepieces and forms part of the so-called 'flapper' or 'flutter' valve, which was a piece of flat rubber with slits to allow exhaled breath out of. The flapper valve was attached to the small protrusion with rubber luting. All Civilian Duty masks should feature a latch clamp assembly that fits around the filter. These clamps ensure the filter will not fall out during use. These clamps were primarily manufactured by Longbottom & Co and Collardo. The haversack issued with the Civilian Duty was a small canvas bag with a shoulder strap and a drawstring to open and close the bag. Many companies manufactured this mask, including Avon, Siebe-Gorman, LBR (Leyland Birmingham Rubber) and PBC (P.B Cow and Co). By the end of the war, approximately 4.5 million Civilian Duty masks had been produced with an average cost of 8 shillings and 1 thruppence (8s/3d). Filter The filter used in the Civilian Duty was a circular lacquered 'box' type filter. It contained higher quality activated charcoal than the General Civilian models. All pre-war filters had their charcoal made from steam-activated coconut shells. Later in the war, briquetted coal was used, due to a shortage of coconut. In order to distinguish between Civilian Duty and General Civilian filters, a red band was painted on Civilian Duty filters. The particulate layer in these filters consisted of asbestos-impregnated Merino wool. Contex Pre-filter In May 1940, an additional pre-filter was issued. This addition was known as the 'Contex'. It was constructed of 3/4 inch thick aluminium and adonised green. It contained another layer of wool and was constructed due to the fear of Arsenical gases. The standard filter alone was found severely lacking in protection against war gases containing arsenic. It was attached to the regular mask with either black or beige tape. Post War model |period = 1950s? - 1970s |issued = |manufacturer = Siebe-Gorman |next = N/A}} Despite being often considered a wartime design, the Civilian Duty had more longevity than most collectors would give credit for. Siebe-Gorman continued to manufacture this mask long into the 1970s, where it was used in industry and available to purchase by the public. The Post-war faceblank itself saw little deviation from wartime examples, only the noticeable exception of the removal of the microphone port. The port was obsolete due to the mask being re-purposed as an industrial mask - industry, of course, had no need for protective respirators with microphone assemblies. The harness assembly was greatly improved. Siebe-Gorman added large, circular textured pull-tabs on each harness strap which made donning and tightening the mask much easier. A metal buckle assembly also added which was much more user-friendly. Filter Much like the facepiece, the filter construction was not too dissimilar from the original wartime design. It too was attached to the facepiece with a singular metal clamp. These post-war filters came in at least 3 colours. Red, blue and black. It is unknown if each colour protected against a particular threat. The black filters appear to be the most common, with red and blue being rarer. Each filter is printed with 'SIEBE-GORMAN' and a date in grey letters. This print usually found at the front or side of the filter. Collectors note Some militaria dealers and eBay sellers notice the filter on post-war models is not the same. Through either malice or unknowledge, they may attempt to sell them as some kind of 'rare prototype' or 'Porton Down model'. This is decidedly untrue, these masks are not prototypes (although they are rare). ''Gallery'' mask2 008.JPG mask2 009.JPG|Mask's Filter Mask2 006.jpg|British Civilian Duty Gas Mask DSC03881.JPG|Radio Operator Gas Mask DSC03883.JPG|Microphone Jack DSC03884.JPG|Headset mask2 010.JPG|Straps mask2 011.JPG mask2 013.JPG|Flutter type valve 2014-03-18_00001.jpg|British Civilian Duty Respirator on Metro: Lastlight - Worn by the "Fourth Reich" Category:World War II Era Mask Category:Civilian Gas Masks Category:United Kingdom Category:Full Face Masks Category:Interwar Era Mask